The FBI has arrested two men in Las Vegas who were arrested in connection with the January 6 uprising at the US Capitol.
Nathaniel J. DeGrave, 31, of Las Vegas and Ronald Sandlin, 31, were initially booked into the Henderson detention center after their arrests by the FBI on Thursday, U.S. Marshal Gary Schofield said.
The FBI tweeted Friday morning that DeGrave and Sandlin were arrested “as a result of their alleged criminal conduct at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.”
An FBI-led Criminal Apprehension team made the arrests and Las Vegas police assisted. Further arrests are possible, Schofield said.
“We will continue to track down and arrest those who attacked our Capitol anywhere in the country,” he told the Review-Journal.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday by federal authorities in Columbia District accuses DeGrave of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without legal authority and violent trespassing and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
A warrant in support of the charges against DeGrave indicates that Sandlin was arrested by the FBI on Thursday in the same Las Vegas apartment complex where DeGrave lives. It was not clear whether Sandlin had been formally charged with any crime since Friday morning.
Assignment gives details about actions
The warrant indicates that the FBI used video surveillance, social media posts, a driver’s photo and tips from the public to conclude that Sandlin, DeGrave and another man, Josiah Colt of Boise, Idaho, is a trio of individuals who appeared on the video surveillance in the Capitol during the uprising. The document also states that Sandlin and DeGrave were convinced that the election was stolen.
DeGrave is quoted by the FBI on a social media thread as saying, ‘It’s time for the American people to stand up and stand up for this country. We are tired of corruption. ”
The FBI said on December 31 that Sandlin had posted an invitation for the protests on social media, saying, “I’m organizing a caravan of patriots going to Washington DC to stand behind our President Donald J. Trump.”
The same report states that Sandlin, Colt and DeGrave have already booked their flights to Washington, DC, to attend the January 6 protest. in the face of Antifa, ”according to the warrant.
The FBI said in one of the videos of the Capitol site that a man who looks like DeGrave says, ‘We are out here to protect the country. If (explicitly) goes down, if (Vice President Mike) Pence does what we think he’s going to do. Then we are here to defend this city, to defend any city in this country. Let Antifa try us, we are here, we are ready. I say bring it. We are no longer silent. ”
The FBI said an analysis of video surveillance by the Capitol Senate Gallery later revealed that Sandlin and a person believed DeGrave was in a fight with officers. Authorities also received video evidence of an anonymous tipster showing Sandlin, Colt and DeGrave before the riot in Capitol. Sandlin is quoted in the video as saying: ‘We are prepared to occupy the capital if necessary. … I appeal to other patriots who are also looking at this to be willing to take the capital. ‘
On Thursday, a Las Vegas apartment complex where DeGrave lives was supervised. Authorities saw a truck registered in Sandlin parked outside the parking lot complex.
“It was later observed that Sandlin was walking from a path in the apartment complex to the truck and was arrested by the FBI,” the warrant reads.
Colt is already facing federal charges of intentional intrusion or residence in any restricted building or site without legal authority and violent intrusion and disorderly conduct on Capitol terrain. He was identified in several media reports as the man who clung to a balcony in the Senate during the uprising. He is also pictured sitting in the chair of Vice President Pence in the room. Colt later apologized for his involvement in the uprising.
No other information was immediately available.
Metro Officer Investigates
According to Metro Police spokesman Larry Hadfield, the arrests on Thursday had nothing to do with a Metro investigating officer, after he posted photos of himself on the day of the riot at the Capitol.
“None of our employees are involved as suspects,” he said in an email.
On January 6, patrol officer Christopher Cooney changed his Facebook profile photo to a shot of himself outside the Capitol building, the day a four-hour riot left five dead, including a Capitol police officer.
Hadfield said at the time that Metro was investigating whether Cooney was entering the Capitol building.
The Capitol siege unfolded as lawmakers ratified Democratic Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
According to Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, Cooney told the police union that he “had no involvement or involvement in any illegal activity.”
Contact Sabrina Schnur at [email protected] or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Contact Alexis Ford at [email protected] or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter. Contact Glenn Puit at [email protected]. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
This is an evolving story. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.